Hissy-Fitt
Hissy-Fitt was a tiny black caterwaul living in Torlynn during the New Age. Through some kind of enchantment or spell, she was capable of temporarily morphing into a ten-foot long panther. As an enchanted creature, she was at least partially immune to the effects of Dark Energy. The human wizard, Tha'aron, first encountered Hissy-Fitt during his stint as an adventurer, traveling with a group of like-minded do-gooders called the Light Bringers. Hissy-Fitt accompanied Tha'aron when he retired from adventuring. As of unctual year 3889, she resided with Tha'aron in the remote location of White Mesa. Playful and mischievous, Tha'aron said that she made him laugh at least once a day and kept him young, but he also said that he constantly lived in fear that she would slice him to ribbons. Hissy-Fitt, according to Tha'aron, sustained herself on a carefully-regimented diet of fattening table scraps. The Quest for the World-Breaker Hissy-Fitt was playing in the snow when she discovered the appearance of several newcomers. She morphed into panther mode and playfully tackled Brian Devonhyre, who initially took this as an attack by hostile creatures. He eventually came to recognize her, having once served as a traveling companion of Tha'aron's. Hissy-Fitt took quite a liking to Talla Unica, the wingless butterfly child who was traveling with the group. They played and napped together during the party's stay at Tha'aron's cabin. Hissy-Fitt was hiding inside the sleeve of Tha'aron's cloak when an avalanche trapped the group. She later accompanied Tha'aron to Torlynn Castle in the group's attempt to find and destroy the World-Breaker. It had been Tha'aron's intention to bequeath the cat to Talla Unica after he sacrificed his life to destroy the ship carrying the weapon. He survived the episode, however, and returned with Hissy-Fitt to White Mesa. The Veil of Souls By 3894, Tha'aron had grown old and addlebrained, and as such, was unable to provide the necessary care and upkeep for Hissy-Fitt. When Mirabel Miller and her companions paid the wizard a visit, a hungry Hissy-Fitt approached Mirabel, begging for food. Mirabel spent some time playing with the kitten, who was able to detect magic and could consistently guess the location of Mirabel's moonstone. Recognizing that the wizard was no longer properly caring for her, Mirabel smuggled the kitten out of the cabin when she left. After realizing that Hissy-Fitt was capable of tracking magical objects (she enjoyed a game of fetch with Mirabel, using the moonstone, and was able to retrieve it every time), Mirabel's group realized that Hissy-Fitt might be able to detect Mirabel's scent on Syzygy (she had poured plenty of blood, sweat, and tears into his reconstruction) and thus locate the missing Four and Mariposa. Hissy-Fitt led the group into the Badlands, where they encountered a mutated Ogre and, eventually, the upper body of Syzygy. After Mirabel elected to leave the castle-ship Endeavor, she accidentally left Hissy-Fitt behind, prompting Four to turn the ship around to try to find her again. During a meal on board Endeavor, Hissy-Fitt attempted to steal a piece of macaque meat from the soup Guzzler had been eating. A scuffle ensued that had sent the entire dining table flying, forcing Arienne to intervene and use her magic to halt the flying silverware. Hissy-Fitt spent some time chasing magic embers that lingered from Arienne's spell. The crew later tried to get Hissy-Fitt to locate the keystone scepter by letting her sniff the crystal fragments that had comprised it. She led them to Syzygy, leading to the discovery that his knight's armor had been holding an invisible scepter the entire time. During the encounter with Deorwynn at the Forgotten Basin, Hissy-Fitt crawled up into the knight helmet worn by Syzygy to wait out the events of the battle. Trivia Hissy-Fitt's ability to change between kitten and panther was not explained in the story. Tha'aron acquired her at some point during his adventures prior to the time The Quest for the World-Breaker takes place. Her mass and weight dramatically increase when she morphs from kitten to panther. The story lampshades this fact by calling attention to the impossible physics behind such an act. Behind the Scenes Hissy-Fitt was one of the characters the author originally created for a tabletop role-playing game. Her role as Tha'aron's familiar was originally the same as it is in the novels. Hissy-Fitt shares a character design with Wolfgang, the kitten character from the short-lived comic strip of the same name. Category:Creatures Category:Pets Category:Magical Creatures Category:Animals Category:Mammals Category:Cats